BSAC Steering Committee

Robin Hollett, currently Manager, Airside Operations with the Ottawa Airport Authority. Robin has extensive experience with airport wildlife control and three years’ experience in Falconry. He started his career as a Wildlife Control Officer at Toronto Pearson in 1995 and ended his time at Pearson in February 2016 holding the position Manager, Runways and Taxiways for GTAA. Robin sits on the SC as an Airport Representative - At-Large.

Micheal Leonard, currently Airport Operations Supervisor at  Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (BBTCA). Michael has been a part of the airport community for over 28 years. He started his career with Ports Toronto who owns and operates BBTCA in 1989. He was hired as an Airfield Maintenance Member, progressed into the role of an Aircraft Rescue Firefighter and then onto the positon of Airport Operations Supervisor. His current role includes overseeing the BBTCA Airport Wildlife Management Plan which he has since 2009 in a very challenging environment. When away from the Airfield, one of his pleasures is taking in the game of hockey. Micheal  sits on the SC as an Airport Representative - At-Large.

Tanya Drapeau, biologist and project manager in the field of airport wildlife management, Tanya currently leads the Avisure Services team at Vancouver International Airport. Tanya has years of experience from both Civil and Military airports in Canada, as well as from wildlife management contracts performed on landfills and other industrial sites. Tanya sits on the SC as an industry representative.

See the full list of Steering Committee Members

This past May, stakeholders from across the globe gathered in Montreal at ICAO headquarters for the first Wildlife Strike Hazard Reduction Symposium hosted by ICAO and ACI. Several members of the BSAC were present, with some members, including David Bradbeer, Tanya Drapeau, Pierre Molina, and Gary Searing presenting on various topics during the Symposium.

Here is Gary's take on the event:

 

Our Steering Committee headed south early to join forces for a day of discussions and working groups on the 21st of August. Thanks to those who joined in to help that day! One immediate outcome was the establishment of a Facebook group and page, and now a LinkedIn page, to better reach out to members and the aviation community at large. We also had groups working on position statements for the Minister of Transport (see prior article), bird strike definitions, outreach poster ideas and more.

Exhibitors at the tradeshow included several BSAC corporate members and we were very pleased to showcase the BSAC's brand new booth which looks great.

 

At the conference, Pierre Molina provided an update to participants on BSAC, and Devon Harris outlined Transport Canada’s regulatory requirements. While various members acted as moderators during sessions, member-presenters included Tim Nohara,"Filling a Critical SMS Information Gap for Bird Strike Risk Management off Airport and at Night", Phil Shaw, "Human Fatalities and Destroyed Aircraft Due to Wildlife Strikes, 1912 to Present", and Tanya Drapeau, "Tools for Success- A Review of Active Wildlife Management Tools Used at Vancouver International Airport".

Gary Searing and Pierre Molina, pictured here with Bird Strike Committee USA's Sarah Bramwell.

In the spring of 2017, EIA entered into an agreement with Aerium Analytics and Clear Flight Solutions to trial-run a pilot program testing the efficacy of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for wildlife control (as well as other imaging and surveying projects for the airport) and thus becoming the first airport in the world to use drones as part of integrated daily operations.
 
Before any flights were done, several Hazard Identification Risk Assessments (HIRAs) were conducted which involved discussions with various stakeholders including Nav Canada, several airlines large and small, helicopter operators, RCMP, and local commercial building tenants on site to ensure safe operations.  The Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC), required for all commercial drone operations in Canada, needed to be updated by Transport Canada to allow for the use of drones in bird control activities.  Likewise, a Migratory Bird Damage or "Damage Permit" was required from the Canadian Wildlife Service for permission to scare birds with “aircraft” in addition to the normal Federal “Kill Permit" required by airports.  Operational restrictions included flying to a maximum of 150 feet, prohibition of flying while there is precipitation, and visibility requirements of 3 statute miles as per the SFOC.  A standing NOTAM was issued for the entire airport property and direct communication with the tower was required when we were flying airside. For the trial, we were only allowed to fly outside of Critical Area B which is approximately 60 metres from the edge of runways, and not in the runway approaches.

The thirteen-week trial program began in late July.  The robotic falcon drone, “Robird”, is a bit larger than a peregrine falcon and weighs 750 grams.  It is operated by a pilot with an observer present at all times to keep a watch on surrounding activities and communicate with the pilot to advise of any hazards.  Several built-in safety features include Geo-fencing (the Robird cannot fly outside of this boundary) and a mandatory ‘fly to home’ or emergency land feature if there is ever a loss of communication with the pilot or the number of GPS satellites drops below 7.  With a well-trained pilot, Robird can simulate the appearance and flight of a large falcon and the illusion is enhanced by accelerating and decelerating where appropriate and simulating the hunting behaviour by splitting up a flock and chasing individuals.

To date, we have flown over 150 flights on airport property.  Most operations were done groundside mainly as a reflection of the bird activity. There has been a lot of development in the area both on EIA property and offsite which has the potential to attract birds especially in the soil stripping phase can be quite an attractant for gulls looking for exposed invertebrates as well as geese visiting these sites when water forms standing ponds after rain events.  During the trial, we have had the opportunity to test Robird in many settings including on gulls and geese loafing on the ground, pigeons and corvids feeding on the ground and roosting in trees or structures, and waterfowl feeding and loafing on water as well as in flight.  While it is still too early to fully evaluate the effectiveness of this tool, results have largely been positive.  It may be of particular assistance in controlling birds where other standard techniques such as the use of pyro, shell crackers, and other auditory deterrents or lethal control may not be suitable.

During the last few months some members received fraudulent emails that contained fake invoices sent in my name (Gary Searing) but by a sender with various different email addresses. It appears that our membership list was hacked and this was the result. Rest assured that we are taking measures to prevent this from reoccurring. In the meantime, please simply disregard these emails. Note that BSAC only sends out invoices for membership dues once per year, typically in December. The legitimate email in the past has been sent from my email personal account (gfs@airportwildlife.ca) and typically contained a personal message highlighting the work done in the previous year and what we hope to achieve in the year ahead. It contained my signature block and the invoice was clearly contained in a pdf on BSAC letterhead. For safety sake, we may send out an email a week or so in advance, letting you know that the annual dues notice (and invoice for your convenience) will be arriving in your virtual mailbox so you will be expecting it and will not be fooled by bogus invoices. Rest assured we take your email security seriously and will continue to work with our internet provider and website developer to stop this hacking and prevent it in the future. Please accept my apology for any inconvenience, annoyance or unhappiness this has caused you. - Gary Searing, Executive Director, BSAC